What are some hindrances to God hearing and answering our prayers?
We learned in part 1 of this series that God will hear and answer our prayers—but only if we pray according to His will:
That could not be any clearer.
I mean, if you're asking God to get rid of your spouse so you can marry your adulterous boyfriend or girlfriend with whom you've been having an affair, He will not hear that prayer. As a matter of fact, if you are living a lifestyle of sin, you will soon began to reap the consequences of what you have sown. (See Galatians 6:7).
And if that verse from 1 John chapter 5 was not clear enough, the following passage should crystallize it:
If you are doing evil, say, surfing porn on the Internet every night, don't expect God to hear, much less answer your prayers for that raise at work. When you do evil, His face is against you—definitely not a good place to be.
This passage really convicted me:
"These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren."
(Proverbs 6:16-19)
This passage really convicted me:
"These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren."
(Proverbs 6:16-19)
If we have committed any of the seven evils in this Proverb, the face of the Lord is against us, and He will not hear our prayers. So, right there, just in these first few passages of Scripture alone, I think we can already see why a large percentage of our prayers are not being answered by God.
And can you blame Him?
What are some other reasons?
How about our opening scripture verse to husbands:
"Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered." (1 Peter 3:7)
Do you honor your wife? Do you live with her with sensitivity and understanding?
If you dishonor your wife in any way, you are hindering your prayers from being heard. If you are rude and insensitive to your wife, God is not going to answer your prayers.
Paul said in Ephesians 5, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her." (Verse 25)
If you dishonor your wife by being critical of her to your friends, that is not loving your wife as Christ loved the church. You've dishonored God's own daughter and He is not going to hear and answer your prayers.
This would apply to you ladies as well. If you tell your girlfriends that your husband is a stupid moron, don't expect God to hear and answer your prayers either.
In a very thorough look at hindrances to prayer, author John Maxwell lines out Ten Personal Prayer Killers, with appropriate scripture verses:
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Prayer Killer # 1 – Unconfessed Sin. Psalm 66:18, Jeremiah 31:34, I John 1:9
Psalm 66:18, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear”
God is perfect and can’t abide sin in us. If we knowingly tolerate sin in our lives, it pushes God away from us. As a result, it makes our prayers powerless.
Jeremiah 31:34, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sin no more.”
At that point our relationship is restored, and our prayers regain their power. Our past actions may still have consequences, but the sin itself is forgiven.
God’s forgiveness is complete. First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.” Don’t let Satan accuse you when Christ has set you free.
Unforgiven sin also has other consequences. We could turn around the Scripture from Psalms to say, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, I will not hear God,” and it would also be true. Sin dulls our senses and isolates us from God.
Besides making us want to run from God, sin also makes us want to isolate ourselves from other believers.
Prayer Killer # 2 - Lack of Faith. James 1:5-8
Lack of faith has an incredibly negative impact on a Christian’s life. Without faith, prayer has no power. Even Jesus was powerless to perform any miracles in Nazareth because of the people’s lack of faith (Mark 6:1-6).
Jesus’ brother James gives some insight into the effect that faithlessness has on prayer.
The word double-minded speaks of a condition where a person is emotionally divided, almost as if he had two souls. That condition makes a person unstable and incapable of hearing from God or receiving His gifts.
Prayer Killer # 3 - Disobedience. I John 3:21-23
1 John 3:21-23, “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:21-23)
I realized that we receive from God because we obey Him. That’s a condition that we must meet in order to approach Him in prayer.
If we are to grow in our relationship with God and become strong people of prayer, we must learn to obey. Keeping free from sin is not enough. Neither is faith. If our mouth says we believe, but our actions don’t back up that belief with obedience, it shows the weakness of our belief. Obedience should be a natural outgrowth of faith in God. He that obeys God, trusts Him; he that trusts Him, obeys Him. [read James 2:1-14.]
God cannot ignore our disobedience even when we try to distract Him. Only our obedience restores our relationship with Him and gives our prayers power.
Prayer Killer # 4 - Lack of Transparency with God and Others. James 5:16
James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.”
James is sharing a truth about God: When we confess our sins to one another, which requires us to be absolutely transparent, God is able to heal and cleanse us. We experience a spiritual, physical, and emotional restoration. In addition, our transparency helps others, because it shows them that they are not alone in their difficulties.
Transparency is a difficult thing for a lot of people. But openness with others can have a profound effect on you. Transparency with God when you pray puts you on His agenda instead of your own. And it also releases other believers to pray for you strategically and specifically.
Prayer Killer # 5 - Unforgiveness. Matthew 18:21, 22. Matthew 6:14, 15
Peter asked Jesus about forgiveness. He asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matt. 18:21). Jesus’ answer: “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matt. 18:22).
Jesus was trying to teach Peter that forgiveness is not a matter of mathematics. Nor is it a choice of words. It is an attitude of the heart, and it is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to forgive.
Why is forgiveness so important? Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Forgiving and being forgiven are inseparable twins. When a person refuses to forgive another, he is hurting himself, because his lack of forgiveness can take hold of him and make him bitter. And a person cannot enter prayer with bitterness and come out with blessings. Forgiveness allows your heart to be made not only right, but light.
Prayer Killer # 6 - Wrong Motives. James 4:3
God makes no mistakes about our motives. When they’re not right, our prayers have no power. James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.”
Sometimes even knowing our own motives can be difficult. When we pray, God speaks to us and shows us our motives. If we are acting out of pride, fear, possessiveness, self-satisfaction, convenience, etc., God will show it to us, if only we are willing to listen. And if we are willing, He will change those motives.
Prayer Killer # 7 - Idols in our Lives. Ezekiel 14:3
Ezekiel 14:3, “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?”
The distaste that God has for idols should be clear from this passage. He doesn’t even want an idol worshipper to talk to Him. On the other hand, when we remove idols from our lives, we become ripe for a personal revival.
Is there anything that you’re putting ahead of God? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. One of the ways to know that something in your life is an idol is to ask yourself, “Would I be willing to give this thing up if God asked me to?” Look honestly at your attitude toward your career, possessions, and family. If there are things you wouldn’t release to God, then they’re blocking your access to Him.
Prayer Killer # 8 – Disregard for Others. Psalm 33:13; John 13:34
Psalm 33:13, “From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind.”
God’s perspective is expansive. He loves everyone, and His desire is that we care for others in the same way. When we disregard others, it grieves Him.
John 13:34, Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
1 Peter 2:13, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men.”
Prayer helps you learn to love others. It’s impossible for a person to hate or criticize someone they’re praying for. Prayer breeds compassion, not competition.
Prayer Killer # 9 - Disregard for God’s Sovereignty. Jeremiah 1:5
I know that God knows me completely and knows what’s best for me.
Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”
Matthew 6:9-10, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
It establishes our relationship to Him: that of a child under the authority of his Father. Any time we disregard the divine order of things, we’re out-of-bounds, and we hinder our relationship with our heavenly Father.
Prayer Killer # 10 - Unsurrendered Will. Psalm 139:23-24, I Peter 3:12
The ultimate purpose of prayer is not to get what we want, but to learn to want what God gives.
A person whose will is surrendered to God has a relationship with Him similar to the one described in the parable of the vine and the branches. It says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7). The branch depends on the vine and lives in one accord with it. In return, the vine provides it with everything it needs, and the result is great fruitfulness.
There are great benefits to surrendering your will to God.
1. God promises to answer your prayers and grant your requests.
2. We get to receive the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Developing an effective prayer life depends on keeping your relationship with God strong and uncluttered by sin and disobedience.
1 Peter 3:12, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
If we strive for righteousness and confess our errors, we can remain close to God. But maintaining our relationship with Him is an ongoing process. A Christian can’t simply pray once through a list like these ten prayer killers and expect to be done with it. Every day we need to go to God and ask Him to reveal anything that may be hindering our progress."
Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts, see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
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The truth's lined out here are more than enough material for several weeks of study and contemplation.
I know that after I have studied this, and repented, and have had many good conversations with the Lord about it, I am confident that I will begin to see more of my prayers answered.
And I believe that you will too.
Draw near to the Lord, and He will draw near to you.
—God is Love and Love Never Fails.
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